The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Anambra

  • ASUU strike: UNIZIK members protest in Anambra

    •NANS urges lecturers to end action

    •UNILORIN VC seeks effective dialogue

    •Women call for solutions

     

    Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, Anambra State, protested yesterday the lingering lecturers’ strike.

    The peaceful protest, it was learnt, was to prevail on the Federal Government to implement the agreement it reached with the union in 2009 and the need for proper funding of public universities.

    Security agencies, including the police, the State Security Service (SSS), as well as officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), among others, were at the popular Aroma Junction, venue of the protest, to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

    The lecturers gathered at the venue at 8am, waving placards, with various inscriptions, such as: Kill education, kill development; Fund education, fund development; ASUU for quality education; Fed Govt: agreement is agreement; and Nigeria needs quality education.

    The UNIZIK ASUU chairman, Prof Ike Odumegwu, addressed the lecturers and others who were in solidarity with the protesters.

    He said: “The implementation of the agreement borders on morality. We are neither negotiating nor re-negotiating with the Federal Government. We are only asking the government to implement the agreement it signed with ASUU in 2009.

    “In that agreement, the government agreed with ASUU on the NEEDS assessment of the universities and agreed to release money for its implementation. But it has turned round to say that the ASUU strike is politically-motivated.

    “The government has said ‘no work, no pay’ and ASUU is saying ‘no pay, no work’. Our demand is that our universities should be made to compete with others in the world.

    “A situation whereby our rich people send their sick ones to India for medical treatment because our teaching hospitals are in a shambles due to lack of proper funding is no longer acceptable.

    “Our government is budgeting N3.2 trillion for the building of a centenary village, but it cannot release N400 billion to upgrade facilities in the nation’s public universities.

    “If this strike fails, it will result in a number of negative consequences for Nigerian education. These include the fact that an average Nigerian student in a federal university will be paying at least N200,000 while over 80 per cent of parents can no longer afford to send their children to the university. If this happens, our youths will be roaming the streets and this is not what Nigerians bargain for.”

    Also, the Chairman of ASUU, Nsukka Zone, Dr. Chidi Osuagwu, said the union could no longer condone the Federal Government’s insensitivity any longer.

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged ASUU to reopen the nation’s universities.

    In a peaceful rally in Kano yesterday, NANS President, Comrade Yinka Gbadebo (aka Ayefele), urged ASUU to reconsider its demands because some of them are not implementable.

    Gbadebo spoke in Kano during a peaceful protest of the union.

    Its members carried banners bearing various inscriptions, such as: ASUU, please, explore other alternatives, re-open our universities now, while negotiations continues; among others.

    Gbadebo said: “The content of the 2009 Agreement is unrealistic because the Federal Government cannot implement that demand in total, and as such they should accept whatever the Federal Government is able to offer.”

    “We had supported ASUU because we did not have access to the document then. But after a comprehensive review of the document, we discovered that it is not implementable as it is now.

    “We are tired of staying at home, our future is in danger. If ASUU refuses to call off the strike, the Nigerian students will not forgive them because our parents are also at the receiving end and the months that we should use in attending classes is now being wasted. How do we meet up?

    “We are not here to cast aspersions on ASUU or to support the Federal Government. What we want is to appeal to ASUU to reopen our universities by calling off the strike, which is about 100 days today.

    “When the school is in session, then they can continue to negotiate with the government.”

    He urged Kano State Governor Musa Kwankwaso to intervene and ASUU President Dr. Nasiru Isa Fagge, who is from Kano, to call off the strike.

    The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali, yesterday called for an effective dialogue between the Federal Government and ASUU to end the over three-month ASUU strike.

    Ambali addressed reporters yesterday in Ilorin at the 29th media briefing of the university.

    He said : “There should be meaningful dialogue between the parties in crisis. Again, the spirit of give-and-take must be played up. Once we embark on being our brother’s keeper, justice will be done.

    “Already, both groups are getting closer and in a couple of weeks or days, there will be a truce over the matter.”

    A group, the Concerned Mothers of Nigeria, yesterday staged a peaceful protest in Benin, the Edo State capital, on the need for the Federal Government to find solutions to the nation’s problems.

    The group’s Coordinator Evangelist O. A. Toyinbo said her group was calling government’s attention to end the ASUU strike, child marriage and insecurity.

    Toyinbo said: “Human beings are being kidnapped everyday as if they were animals. Where are we heading to in Nigeria, if the above situation continues?

    “We plead with tears gushing out of our eyes for the government to quickly meet the demands of ASUU so that they may call off the strike, which has made our students to stay at home in the past three months. What ASUU is demanding is for the betterment of our children.”

  • Anambra agency dismantles Ngige’s billboards

    The billboard of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Chris Ngige are being dismantled and destroyed in Anambra State by the state agency, according to Ngige Campaign organization. Briefing reporters yesterday at the APC campaign headquarters in Awka, Ngige Media and Publicity Director, Chief Charles Amilo, described the action as brigandage and fanning the embers of discord. But the Chief Operations Officer, Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency, Jude Emecheta, told reporters yesterday that Ngige owed the state government N8.5million, adding that he had only paid N2 million to that effect. According to Emecheta, “they should comply with the simple law. Nobody is fighting Ngige as being speculated, but we are giving them up till next week Friday to complete their payment or we continue our job. “Nobody is pulling down Ngige’s billboards for the sake of it, there is rascality in what they do. We must function as an agency established by law, it has nothing to do with politics,” he said. However, briefing reporters yesterday, Amilo warned that Ngige Campaign Organisation would not tolerate such again, adding the action was brigandage of the worst order. He said: “We have paid all money the state government asked us to pay concerning this issue, we believe that they have seen the hand writing on the wall and decided to turn Anambra into a catastrophic state.

  • Ngige’s media team member shot in Anambra

    A member of the Senator Chris Ngige media team has been shot by unknown persons in Anambra State. He is in hospital.

    The media consultant to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Chief Robert Opara, told The Nation yesterday in Awka that the development would not deter them.

    It was learnt that the member was shot by gunmen about four days ago when heading for Awka from Asaba in Delta State.

    The incident, our reporter gathered, occurred about 4pm near Umunnachi in Dunukofia Local Government.

    Speaking with The Nation yesterday, Opara said: “This is one of the problems the APC standard-bearer will solve when he takes over leadership.”

    He said armed robbery and kidnapping were rampant in Anambra State, adding that everybody believed Ngige would restore peace and security.

    Opara went on: “I see Ngige having a fair chance of winning the November 16 governorship poll based on what we have witnessed here and what happened at the campaign ground on Tuesday.

    “We saw okada riders, market leaders, bus drivers, newspaper vendors all cheering Ngige and other APC leaders. These are the people whose lives he has touched in one way or the other.

    “Ngige is a symbol of Igbo aspiration in the Senate. He has sponsored five bills and 30 motions, which are geared towards helping the Igbo.

    “He has offered more than 300 jobs not only to the people of his constituency, but also to other people in Anambra State. He has helped the needy. So his decision to contest on the platform of APC is a divine intervention.”

    Two committees, which will work for Ngige’s success have been inaugurated in Awka.

    They are the Ngige Action Initiative (NAI), led by former Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Chief Amechi Obidike and the Ngige Front Liners, led by Mr. Olisaemeka Onyeka.

    Other members of NAI include Emeka Ibe, who will serve as the state coordinating secretary. Chief Justine Akunne and Oliver Okonkwo, among others, are members.

    Each of the committees has over five coordinators in each of the 326 wards in the 21 local government areas.

  • Ngige: I ‘ll return Anambra to path of progress

    Ngige: I ‘ll return Anambra to path of progress

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the governorship poll in Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige, has said he would return the state to its glorious past if elected on November 16.

    Ngige, who was accompanied by his running mate, Mr. Ralph Okeke, spoke yesterday at the Ladipo International Auto Spare Parts Market, Matori, Lagos when he was hosted by Igbo traders.

    He said it was unfortunate that the progress Anambra recorded when he was the governor had been stalled for lack of a development plan by the present administration.

    Ngige said what the Peter Obi administration was doing in terms of building roads and other projects were mere cosmetic, as most of the roads constructed by the administration had been washed away by rains.

    Said he: “If it is good for Anambra State it means it is good for the entire Igbo land. Immediately I became the governor of Anambra State, I told my fellow governors, who were on their second term that we should embark on regional integration. I told them that we must do what we call regional cooperation.

    “This I believe will assist in opening up the region. I told all the governors to build roads from their state capitals to the border of the next state. This was done, but what they are now building are of low quality. The roads cannot stand the test of time.

    “The cost of their roads is twice the cost of Ngige’s roads, yet they are of low quality. Who is fooling who in terms of project execution?”

    Ngige said security of life and property had been compromised because of the social malaise caused by unemployment.

    He said Anambra State would enjoy free education from primary to secondary school, if he is elected.

    Ngige urged the Igbo to be law-abiding. He said the Lagos State government would protect people who engaged in legitimate businesses.

    Senator Ngige promised to build an airport to make the movement of people and goods easy.

    Others at the event included the Lagos State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze, APC Interim Publicity Secretary in Lagos State , Mr. Joe Igbokwe, APC Youth Leader in Southeast, Chief Uzoma Igbonwa, among others.

  • My plan for Anambra, by APC candidate Ngige

    My plan for Anambra, by APC candidate Ngige

    Before a massive crowd of excited supporters and backed by frontline politicians, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige announced yesterday his plan to return to the Anambra Government House.

    He will run the November 16 race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) whose leaders stormed Onitsha to drum support for Ngige’s ambition. Among the leaders were APC interim chair Chief Bisi Akande and former Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Imo State Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha and his Ekiti counterpart Kayode Fayemi, were also at the Holy Trinity grounds in the commercial city of Onitsha.

    The atmosphere was electric, with thousands of APC supporters, including various dance troops from the 21 local government areas, turning the city into a huge carnival arena.

    Ngige was elected Anambra State governor in 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was removed from office by the court on March 17, 2006.

    Tinubu, apparently overwhelmed by the crowd while driving round the arena with Akande, Ngige and Oshiomhole was beaming with smiles and waving to the crowd.

    When he ascended the podium and the microphone handed over to him by the master of ceremony, Sen. Osita Izunaso, Tinubu said with what he had seen, the people have genuine love for Ngige

    However, he stressed that the people must protect their votes during the November 16 election, adding that what would happen in Anambra would be a revolution.

    “The revolution will not be achieved without you. We have brought to you a revolution, but the most important thing is that our votes must be protected. Go and vote Ngige in and defend it. We have not come to the campaign, the name of Ngige, his name alone has done the campaign,” the APC leader said.

    Tinubu’s oratory, the eloquence, of Fayemi, Okorocha and Oshiomhole as well as Akande’s wisdom put the party members in a frenzy.

    Tinubu urged students and the youth to turn out enmasse and vote Ngige.

    He reminded them of the revolution and change Ngige brought to Anambra during his first term in office and said the APC is the platform of choice.

    Akande said: “Nigeria’s glory is returning to Nigeria through the platform of the APC and Ngige is now becoming the mascot of the future glory of Nigeria.”

    Fayemi said what would happen in Anambra would be a struggle for the freedom of the people, adding that the 11 Progressive Governors of APC would stand behind Ngige in the race.

    His words: “What APC has brought to the people of Anambra State is a package. Everybody is committed to this project. Some of the people gunning for the governorship seat of Anambra, we do not know their antecedents; our politics must be devoid of charlatans.”

    Okorocha, who described Ngige as a man who dismantled godfatherism in Anambra politics, said that the hand of God was in his plan.

    He said people were rushing to APC because they need change, adding that the much talked about change would come to Anambra first through APC.

    Former national chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Dr Ogbonnaya Onu and the chairman of Ngige’s campaign team, Chief George Moghalu, said APC had started on a good footing and would also end on a good footing.

    Moghalu said: “Anambra is not a training ground, the state is for APC, the assurance I am giving the people today is that we will deliver Ngige to the masses.”

    Oshiomhole said: “We have not come to market a product. The new drug called APC is a tested one and the product here is a trusted and also a tested one. The thieves are not far way; you must defend your votes. Everybody is crying for change and that change is here with you.”

    Igwe of Onitsha, Obi Alfred Achebe yesterday rounded off his Ofala festival in a grand style, pledging his commitment and dedication to Onitsha legacies and cultural re-armament.

    Addressing citizens, Obi debunked the claims that he resigned as Anambra State Chairman of Traditional Rulers Council on account of differences with Governor Peter Obi over choice of candidate.

    He rather said that having been in the position for over five years, that it was time for others to serve too, adding that he has enjoyed good and harmonious relationship with Obi, who accorded him due respect.

    He said he was behind him in the support for Anambra North to produce the next governor in the spirit of equity and fairness.

    He prayed for Anambra to get a good leader that would improve on foundations laid by Governor Peter Obi but appealed to voters to use their votes to enthrone a genuine leader out of the 23 governorship sspirants now gunning to govern the state.

    Igwe of Onitsha urged the incoming Governor to create more jobs for Anambra youths to reduce crime rate.

    Obi, in his remarks urged the people to respect traditional institution in all their dealings as true sons and daughters of Igbo land.

    He urged Ndigbo to stand up firmly and insist that their traditional institution must be accorded full respect at all times.

     

  • Arrest operators of baby factories in Anambra, Obi’s wife tell police

    •Illegal operators on the run 

    As the ultimatum by the Anambra State government to illegal baby factories engaging in child trafficking in the state to register or relocate ended yesterday, security operatives were ordered to clamp down and prosecute operators of all illegal homes in the state.

    Wife of the Anambra State governor, Mrs Margaret Peter Obi, who announced this while on an inspection tour of motherless babies homes and orphanage homes in the state, called on the police for prosecution of the operators to serve as a deterrent to others.

    She said anybody caught trafficking children would be dealt with severely as the era of indulging in violence and evils against children are over.

    She also announced the names of the 18 officially registered orphanage and motherless babies’ homes in the state, which she handed over to all the security operatives for immediate action. She, however, instructed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to ensure all illegal homes are shut with the help of law enforcement agents.

    Obi’s wife represented by a team of ministry officials, including the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr Henrietta Agbata , Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Lady Gloria Okeke, and the Director, Child Development, Mr Emeka Ejide, visited three homes in Onitsha yesterday including Arrows of God, Red Cross Motherless Babies Home and Crowther Motherless Babies Home.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Personality will decide Anambra poll’

    ‘Personality will decide Anambra poll’

    Anambra State chairman of the Labour Party ( LP) Chief Sam Oraegbunam has said that the November 16 governorship election will be decided by the personality of candidates and not necessarily their parties.

    Oraegbunam said the power of incumbency will not avail the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) anything as the electorate will solely consider the person rather than the party. He was reacting to the question of the chances of the LP Governorship candidate Chief Ifeanyi Ubah.

    Oraegbunam told The Nation on phone that in the history of the state, elections have always been decided by the personality of the individuals involved and not the parties.

    “The chances of the LP candidate are very high. We are in a state where elections are not decided by the name of the party but by the personality of the individual. On this score, I can tell you that the LP candidate, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah stands taller than any other candidate. As for your question of whether we are not worried by the power of incumbency, I will say no.In the. Final analysis, the voters will tell you that the person they know is Chief Ubah, who has touched their lives in man ways than one. Go to the state and ask the people.

    “They also know that the ruling party is playing two cards, appealing to the people using the name of Dim Ojukwu and playing the zoning card. But zoning should not be imposition. There are others in the party, who are very qualified, financial members from Anambra North Senatorial District. They have been in the state for the past four to eight years working for APGA, why were they disqualified or dropped. The people are wiser than we all think, please.

    “Ubah is popular among the youths, market women, elders, traditional rulers, transporters, traders and artisan. He has touched their lives in various ways. He does not make a boast of it. He is a man who has made it and he want to lift the state to the next level. So, we are not afraid of the power of incumbency”, he said.

    Reacting to the allegation that a factional LP candidate exists, Oraegbunam said nobody in his party is losing sleep over the allegation as there is no basis to worry over “ frivolous concoctions by political enemies” .

    “Nobody is losing sleep over it. There is no faction in Anambra LP, which is the only party that is rancour free in the state. Secondly, the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) has published the names of the candidates and their parties, and if there was any faction, the electoral body would have known and acted according. Lastly, there is no known court case against the candidature of Chief Ubah that is known to LP and the INEC. So, we are not losing sleep, we are rather focussed on the election and working assiduously towards it.

    “I can tell you that we have searched all our records from the state down to the wards and found no such name as Peter Nwosu. In fact the claimant is not a member of LP. He is not known to us at the state, national or at whatever level of the party”, the chairman noted.

    According to him, the governorship primary of the party was transparently conducted, monitored and supervised by all stakeholders. We sold our Expression of Interest Forms and the Nomination Forms openly for all interested aspirants to buy. As at the date of the closure of entry, only Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah bought, completed and submitted his forms. He was screened and found qualified, capable and able.

    He said that despite being the only aspirant, the national executive of the party that presided at the primary process still threw the exercise open to public scrutiny and participation. Yet no one objected with the conduct for whatever reason, Oraegbunam pointed out. There is only one LP exco in the state under my leadership, no any other.

    He pointed out that he won’t be surprised if the impostor was being sponsored by political merchants who feel dwarfed by Ubah’s rising political profile.

    The party boss said they would appeal to security agents to properly monitor and investigate such characters in future, “because we know our friends and our friends know us.”

    A member of the Ifeanyi Ubah Media Campaign Team, Mr Emmanuel Ibeneme blamed desperate politicians for the rumour. He said that no amount of fabrications will deter the LP from pursuing its goal of installing the next governor of the state.

    “It is all rumour mongering by desperate politicians, who are jittery of the high level of acceptance of the LP candidate. We will not succumb to their lies and fabrications. We will continue to pursue vigorously, the main goal of the LP, which is to install the next governor and give the state a better leadership”, Ibeneme said.

  • Anambra revives water schemes

    Anambra revives water schemes

    To keep residents of Onitsha, Anambra State commercial capital, and its environs in good supply of clean water, the state government is rehabilitating the Greater Onitsha Water Scheme.

    The government has concluded plans to extend the water scheme to Obosi, Ogidi, Nkpor, Nkwelle Nzunaka and Umunya, among others.

    Also, the Peter Obi-led administration is considering rehabilitating the Ogidi Water Scheme which has been abandoned for over a decade. Already, the scheme has reached over 67 per cent completion stage. It would be reticulated to 4.5 kilometers into the roads of Ogidi for the people to extend it into their compounds.

    Governor Obi has assured that the scheme would soon become operational as a lot of improvement had been recorded in the rehabilitation of the abandoned scheme. He further explained that when completed, the government will partner with the community for the management of the facility to encourage the people to take full ownership and ensure proper management, maintenance and sustainability of the scheme.

    The Commissioner for Public Utility and Water Resources, Mr. Emeka Nwankwu said the facility was part of Onitsha Greater Water Scheme with 40,000 cubic water reservoirs that supplied water to Ogidi and its environs.

    Mr. Nwankwu further explained that the present reconstruction which costs the N77 million included two boreholes, a new electricity generating set and reticulation to 4.5km.

    The President-General of Ogidi Town Union, Eric Obiakor said the Governor’s various interventions had restored hope to the people, even as he assured him that they would reciprocate his gesture by being alive to their civic responsibilities, including prompt payment of taxes and water rate.

    The governor, who recently was presented an award for the best performing Governor in the South-East by the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, also inspected Obosi, Oba and Umuoji towns’ water schemes.

    For the Greater Onitsha Water Scheme, Governor Obi assured that the first phase of the resuscitation of the scheme would be completed this year. He lamented the destruction of the facility during which components worth several millions of naira were carted away.

    Governor Obi, who disclosed this while inspecting the project, said the completion of the first phase would make the scheme functional before the end of the year.

    He recalled that previous attempts by the Federal Government to intervene on the project did not yield any result and how major components of the facility have been vandalised over the years; leaving only the panel boxes. He said the project is now properly funded and that he had given the contractor deadline for its completion.

    Mr. Emeka Nwankwu also said that the scheme constructed in 1998, has been abandoned since 2001, prompting the intervention of the present administration. He explained that the project is under public-private partnership and will include rehabilitation and expansion of tank from 45,000 cubic meters to 60,000 cubic meters capacity as well as building another intake structure at Nkpor.

  • Anambra PDP crisis: ‘Jonathan’s silence dangerous’

    •Members threaten to vote for another party

    The crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State has taken a new turn.

    The Chairman of the Fresh Congress Group, Emma Obiorah, said the crisis might force them to vote for another party in the governorship election next month.

    Speaking with The Nation yesterday in Awka, he said the silence by President Goodluck Jonathan means he has a soft spot for another party and not the PDP concerning the November 16 poll.

    Obiorah said the grassroots people were tired of the unresolved issue of the party’s candidature, adding that if President Jonathan had interest in the Anambra PDP, he should break his silence.

    Although the decision concerning the authentic candidate of the party may be taken today, Comrade Tony Nwoye, who the party has declared as its candidate, is unrelenting over the matter.

    His campaign team had visited the nooks and crannies of the state, mobilising support for the former president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

    Obiorah said: “At this juncture, the national executive of our party should de-emphasise on how to make money out of the crisis. It should think of how to settle this issue so that the party will bounce back for the November 16 election.

    “President Jonathan’s silence on the matter is killing the party the more in the state and this makes us feel that he is trading PDP for another party in the forthcoming governorship poll. We have heard of such moves with another opposition party.

    “If indeed he is interested in the affairs of the party, why has he not summoned a meeting of the leaders to end this crisis?

    “We have decided that if the problems continue, we will come together, I mean our group and decide who we are going to vote for from another party.”

  • Anambra 2013 and Ngige’s Senate report card

    Since the commencement of the processes leading to November 16 Anambra governorship election, I have been watching with utter dismay and disappointment the distortion of bare facts and orchestrated propaganda to bring the down one of the most formidable candidates in the race, Senator Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Hired for the dirty job by those afraid of Ngige’s political antecedents and value in the politics of the state, were hatchet writers, bloggers and internet warriors.

    Their first task was to demonise Ngige by labelling him a dormant senator, alleging that he has not sponsored or co-sponsored any bill in the Senate since he was elected. In short, it was governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi who first raised the false alarm in a function in Awka and the jobbers cashed on it. That was when the strange and divisive politics of zoning which governor Obi introduced to the state’s politics ahead of November 16 election appeared to be failing him. It is very obvious to Nigerians who are keen watchers of Senate’s proceedings that Ngige remains one of the most vibrant senators in the upper chamber today, despite being in opposition. Ngige apart from sponsoring and co-sponsoring some bills participated actively in 2011/2012 Appropriation Bill and made significant input into the money bill that will be beneficial to the people of the state. He is also a constant contributor on the topical issues on the floor of the senate.

    When moves were made to weaken the labour unions at the peak of subsidy protests, Ngige was among the senators who stood solidly behind the unions, by opposing the bill which was allegedly sponsored by the Presidency through a senator from South-south zone.

    At a time Ngige was the only senator from Anambra State because Senator Andy Uba’s election was nullified and nobody was representing Anambra North following the protracted legal tussle between Senator Margery Okadigbo and Senator Alphonsus Igbeke over the seat. During this period, Ngige made sure that projects of great benefit the entire South-east, his state and constituency were inserted in the appropriation bill. This is easily reflected in the increased power projects in the entire South-east. He is in seven committees of the senate, and as a senator from the opposition party, he cannot be chairman of a committee.

    As a workaholic deputy chairman of the senate committee on power, he worked round the clock with other members to ensure that progress was in the sector as being witnessed today across the country with improved power supply in some cities including Anambra. Ministers of Power past and present, namely, Professor Barth Nnaji and Prof. Chinedu Nebo can testify that.

    He single-handedly moved the motion for the immortalisation of the late Prof. Chinua Achebe. As a result of that motion, Achebe was given a plenary session, an honour reserved only for National Assembly members. As a result of the motion also, the federal government gave Achebe a befitting national burial.

    Apart from this, he sponsored Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act Cap R 11,LFN 2004 which seeks to provide for more judicial discretion and flexibility in the sentence imposed for robbery, depending on the facts and circumstances of each case, rather than having a pre-fixed maximum sentence and to clarify that hospitals and clinics must first administer necessary treatment to gunshot victims, before reporting the matter to the police within a reasonable period of time

    He also sponsored the amendment of the Federal Housing Authority Act Cap F14, LFN 2004 which seeks to provide for tenure for some of the members of the board of the Federal Housing Authority, and the General Manager who is CEO of the organization; and to remove the monetary cap on the borrowing powers of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and substitute presidential approval with ministerial approval for borrowing. Other bills sponsored by Ngige includes Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria Act Cap T3,LFN 2004, Flag and Coat of Arms Act Cap F30,LFN 2004, Flag of Nigerian Ships Act Cap F31,LFN 2004, Fertilizer (Control )Act Caps F25,LFN 2004, Public Officers Protection Act Cap P41,LFN 2004, Farmers Registration Council Bill, National Health Bill and National Health Insurance Bill.

    In addition, he has provided jobs to some of the unemployed youths in the state.

    All these incontrovertible facts are in the record of the proceedings of the present Senate, but the political jobbers and hatchet writers who are very lazy in research or investigation are capitalizing on the availability of the social media and non-sanction of it to try to deceive and misinform unsuspecting Nigerians, particularly the people of Anambra by fabricating all manners of allegations against Ngige. But they forget that Anambra people and Nigerians have become wise and cannot swallow all their lies hook, liner and sinker.

    Nigerians and the people of Anambra know that Ngige is not daft and was never one. He is a very deep and articulate person with great pace and zeal to get result on anything he engages himself. He is a selfless politician who believes that public fund should be used to better the lot of the people through the provision of basic infrastructural facilities, instead of sharing them from hand to hand under any guise.

    This is because he had a humble beginning. During his days as pupil at St. Patrick Primary School, Ogbete, Enugu, which he left in 1964, Ngige was an outstanding pupil both in academics and other extra-curriculum activities. He was never found wanting in anything. Not many were surprised when he made distinction in his school certificate examination at St. John Secondary School, Alor in 1972.

    Many had thought that he would be a lawyer, because he had studied arts and commercial subjects to class four before switching over to science subjects, leaving his younger brother, Emeka Ngige (SAN) to continue with arts subjects – a feat many never tried because of fear of failure.

    As if that was not enough and without much delay, Ngige secured admission to study Medicine at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, where he graduated with flying colours in 1979. This was at a time most his mates were still retaking our school certificate. While in the university, he was actively involved in student union politics, which he never allowed to affect his studies and performance.

    Upon his graduation, many of his colleagues travelled to overseas, while others picked jobs in multinational companies, but Ngige in line with his deep flair for public and humanitarian services, opted for a job at the Federal Ministry of Health where he worked creditably for years before leaving voluntarily in 1998 as deputy director of hospital services, federal medical centres and teaching hospitals.

    While in Federal Ministry of Health, he was instrumental to the establishment of permanent sites for most of the federal medical centres and teaching hospitals, especially in the South-east zone. In continuation of his burning desire for public service, he ventured into the murky waters of Nigerian politics as one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. No wonder he was appointed the protem zonal publicity secretary of the party in the South-east in 1998 and later the assistant national/zonal secretary of the party in the zone between 1999 and 2002. The same year he was conferred with the national honour of Order of the Niger, OON, for his diligence and accountability in public service.

    It was from there that he emerged the governorship candidate of the PDP in Anambra State in 2003. Though his initial ambition was to become a senator, he was persuaded by the party stakeholders to run for the office of governor.

    Having been in public service all his life, Ngige is always conscious of Harold McAlindon’s words: “Do not follow where the path may lead, but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” So from childhood, he never believed in bandwagonism, but in carving a niche for himself in anything he does.

    As senator currently representing Anambra Central Ngige has continued to identify with the people through his quality debates and contributions on the floor of the Senate. He has continued to remain his self and the man of the people, mindful of the fact that being oneself in a world that is constantly trying to make one something else is the greatest accomplishment.

     

    • Obiajulu, a teacher wrote from Awka, Anambra State